Hi,

I did a search for this but nothing came up, course not being sure how to word it, didn't help.

I want to do a cake for my niece's birthday. I've seen cakes with different things sticking out of the top, flowers, stars, etc.
What i want to know is, what do they use? is it florists wire? is it safe?
How is it used? inserted into the fondant flower before drying? glued on? (safe glue of course, lol)
Would I cover the wires with fondant? confusion reigns!!

Thanking you soooooooooooo much as you always come through for me with my newbie questions
Marie

I think you are looking for gumpaste flowers. They are made and dried on florist wire. Usually this type of wire isn't stuck in the cake itself, just used to make a bouquet and placed on top.

I would think if you used kitchen wire, like the type you would bind up a turkey, that would be food safe. Try to google gumpaste flowers and see what you get.

Good Luck

Thank you MACakes, but actually I'm talking of the ones done yourself. i've seen them all over

I use gumpaste rather than fondant due to the humidity here. I use floral wires or jewelry-making wire, depending on the look desired. The size of the object you are trying to lift will determine the size of the wire you need to use. I usually use 20-gauge (the lower the number, the larger the wire), but I have used smaller wire for objects that I wanted to arch over and have movement. I insert drinking straws into the cake and then put the wires into the straws, using a bit of paste inside the straw if needed to stabilize. Just model or cut out the desired object and insert the wire while the paste is soft and allow to dry. If you want to shape the wire (spiral or big arch or whatever), do that first. Dipping the end of the wire in gum glue helps, and, if your object isn't too thin or delicate, you can make a little hook in the end of the wire and give it a slight twist to help it stay in the paste.

Thank you so much ibmoser, that helps a lot. I very much appreciate the replies!